As we understand things, times are tough at Realitatea, Romania’s ‘top’ TV news channel: reports that the media firm’s bank accounts were blocked for non-payment of taxes certainly suggest as much.
That’s none of our business.
Pointing out crap journalism is something we consider our business, however, especially if it involves a little iconclasm.
Today’s top story on the sport section of Realitatea’s website (at least as we write this) is the news that Romania’s third goal in their epic World Cup game with Argentina in 1994 – a goal scored by the saintly Gheorghe Hagi – was chosen by journalists at the Guardian newspaper as the greatest counter-attacking goal of all time.
This scoop was considered so important it even made the Realitatea ticker that runs at the bottom of the television screen when the channel is on.
Oh dear.
A look at the original article in the Guardian tells a slightly different story.
First off, you will not find the supposed list of ‘the greatest goals scored on the counter attack’ in the Guardian newspaper. Nor will you find it on the Guardian’s website.
No, you have to go to the Guardian’s blog to find what you’re looking for: The Joy of Six.
Each week, a journo from the Guardian’s blog spends ten minutes searching You Tube for six great sporting moments based on a loose theme. Last week it was Great League Cup Semi-Finals, this week it was Six Counter Attacking Goals. It then lists them, in no particular order. As the journo in question (this week Rob Smyth) goes to great lengths to point out:
“As always, the point of the Joy of Six is not to rank things, only to enjoy them. Some of the other counterattacking goals we like were included in The Joy of Six: Great team goals.“
If Realitatea‘s web team had actually read the Guardian’s blog post before they wet themselves with excitement and began copy/pasting, they might have realised that this is just a bit of fun, not a major news story.
And before we get angry Hagi-is-God fanatics commenting on our anti-Romanian agenda, we would add that we have no doubt that Hagi’s marvellous goal would be close to or even top of a list of the greatest counter attacking goals of all time. It is a fantastic goal, and Hagi was indeed a fine player.
We are not disputing the merits of the goal here: merely highlighting a pisspoor piece of journalism.
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Laughable – almost makes my blog look good in comparison.